Luis E. Velazquez, Javier Esquer, Nora E. Munguía and Rafael Moure‐Eraso
The purpose of this paper is to debate how companies may better become a sustainable learning organization by offering the most used and insightful concepts of sustainability.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to debate how companies may better become a sustainable learning organization by offering the most used and insightful concepts of sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Through literature review, learning organization and sustainability perspectives are explored and compared.
Findings
Learning sustainability experiences around the world have provided tools and mechanics to companies to enhance economic growth without affecting environment and communities.
Originality/value
The paper explains points of convergence and divergence between learning organization and sustainability approaches and provides insightful remarks from literature.
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Nora Munguia, Alejandra Varela, Javier Esquexr and Luis Eduardo Velázquez Contreras
At the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in Paris, 195 governments reached an agreement pivotal not only for countries but…
Abstract
Purpose
At the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in Paris, 195 governments reached an agreement pivotal not only for countries but also for companies. The Paris Agreement makes it impossible to practice business as usual. The transition to a low-carbon coffee industry could be achieved by fostering corporate sustainability. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of how to adopt the principles of Paris Agreement by enhancing the corporate sustainability of a Mexican coffee-roaster company using the inventory phase of the life cycle assessment tool.
Design/methodology/approach
The data collection process followed the requirements of the International Reference Life Cycle Data System Handbook, developed by the Institute for Environment and Sustainability in the European Commission Joint Research Centre, and data on packaging materials and energy production were drawn from a commercially available database in the LCA software SimaPro.
Findings
Compiling data on the energy of the firm’s material flows in a firm revealed opportunities to improve energy efficiency and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The results of the inventory analysis can be used to evaluate the specific environmental impacts of the coffee-roasting process at this Mexican coffee company. Data compilation activities for energy flows identified the need to install liquefied petroleum gas measuring devices and individual measuring devices for electricity consumption in different areas of the coffee plant. It is recommended that, while implementing this option, the company also develop an energy management program to achieve energy efficiency.
Practical implications
The inventory data in this case study permit comparisons of the current state of the system studied and its possible future states and offer stakeholders relevant information on resource use. Similarly, the project results provide the basis for future research on environmental performance in the coffee industry in Mexico and for the development of policies regarding the production process in the coffee supply chain. Consequently, this research can help fulfil Mexico’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.
Social implications
Reaching the goal of the Paris Agreement will require gathering key information for each single company. The current case study has provided key data to foster the principles of sustainability in the Mexican coffee industry to help this sector to transit toward sustainable development, which is a new demand of the Mexican society. Even though it may seem simple, this is the hardest step for enhancing stakeholder involvement in corporate sustainability.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this research to science and practice is to confirm that fostering corporate sustainability is easier and more feasible when energy flow information is available.
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Javier Esquer‐Peralta, Luis Velazquez and Nora Munguia
The concepts of sustainable development (SD) and management systems (MS) are finding increasing acceptance in a variety of fields, including academy, politics, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The concepts of sustainable development (SD) and management systems (MS) are finding increasing acceptance in a variety of fields, including academy, politics, and non‐governmental organizations. These concepts are also being used by the general population. This paper aims to describe the perception of different experts by discussing the usefulness of sustainability management systems (SMS) as holistic systems that might integrate environmental, social, and economic elements.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was framed by the general systems theory and its nature is totally qualitative and exploratory in order to understand the significant attributes that affect or benefit a management system to reach sustainability. A total of 14 interviews were conducted with several experts around the world. Some are professional persons in sustainability issues in general, and some in environmental, health and safety (EHS) issues in particular.
Findings
The results shows that, although there is a continuous debate on the sustainability approach, several core elements can be addressed for sustainability management systems (SMS). For instance, 71.4 percent of the interviewees agreed that management systems are useful for sustainable development, or at least potentially useful, and 42.9 percent of the experts declared that having a clear understanding of the long‐term economic benefits for the company is an important incentive for their implementation.
Research limitations/implications
Interviews were conducted with a limited number of experts and there was no field verification of claims. Therefore, conclusions derived from these sources depend on the veracity of the information provided by participants. Expert bias may also have an impact on the outcomes of this research.
Practical implications
The findings provide management systems' practitioners with key elements when sustainability management systems are being created, maintained and evaluated.
Originality/value
The findings are not results from general concepts, but rather elicited from empirical data from fourteen sustainability, and health and safety experts around the world.
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Luis Velazquez, Nora Munguia, Andrea Zavala, Javier Esquer, Markus Will and Bernd Delakowitz
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the deepening understanding of the diverging pollution prevention (PP) and occupational and safety practices undertaken in the Mexican…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the deepening understanding of the diverging pollution prevention (PP) and occupational and safety practices undertaken in the Mexican maquiladora industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was outlined by a modified version of the PP Program based on a continuous improvement cycle, which identifies areas of opportunity and then, proposes ideas for solving problems. This study was carried out based merely on a quantitative approach. However, when this was not possible, parameters were determined under a qualitative or semi-quantitative approach.
Findings
Findings in this study have proven that Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention (CP&PP) programs are successful to obtain not only environmental but also occupational benefits at the same time; therefore, they should not be seem only as an environmental tool but as a sustainability tool that have the potential to make possible the creation of a sustainable production system in the maquiladora industry where products and processes, and operations are designed to be not risky for Mexican workers, communities, and environment.
Practical implications
The study revealed empirical environmental and occupational practices that took place in nine maquiladoras located in the Northwest of Mexico and analyzes how these practices affect Mexican workers in this industry and their environment.
Originality/value
The study evaluated the feasibility and usefulness of CP&PP programs in the maquiladora industry under an integrative approach that takes into account environmental and occupational aspect in order to understand how this industry is changing their production patterns toward sustainability.
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Jorge L. Taddei‐Bringas, Javier Esquer‐Peralta and Alberto Platt‐Carrillo
The aim of this paper is to show some relevant issues about how the framework of the ISO 14001‐based EMS contributes to the transition of higher education institutes (HEIs…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to show some relevant issues about how the framework of the ISO 14001‐based EMS contributes to the transition of higher education institutes (HEIs) towards a sustainable university.
Design/methodology/approach
The triangulation methodology is used to compare a literature review with the experiences in some universities that have worked with the ISO 14001 framework, and also with the obtained results from a case study in regards to the implementation of such a system in the University of Sonora.
Findings
The EMS structure has to be adapted to the academic structure; the substantive functions (teaching, research, and outreach) have to be considered; the intangibles (consciousness, involvement, student participation, among others) are very important; and the elaboration of a model proposal in order to make the proper adaptations from to the ISO 14001 scheme is suggested. As a result, the increment of its contribution in the way of the higher education institutions towards sustainability is expected.
Originality/value
The paper shows how the scheme, ISO 14001, can help to promote and raise awareness of the university community towards sustainability.
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While the adoption of corporate social responsibility reporting has been growing, less interest has been evoked in how organizations are in fact responding to organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
While the adoption of corporate social responsibility reporting has been growing, less interest has been evoked in how organizations are in fact responding to organizational sustainability, or what their relevant optimal strategies ought to be. Triple Bottom Line Sustainability (TBLS) as a desirable organizational goal is now generating some interest, and it is defined here, together with an exploration of the systemic issues which influence organizational attitudes regarding its achievement. Attention is drawn to lessons to be learned from how a learning organization, on either the local or global scale, might respond to the challenges of achieving sustainability. By exploring research and practitioner viewpoints bearing on sustainability‐related promotion of organizational learning, and means to change industrial‐age mindsets, this special issue aims to help organizations remove cultural and structural barriers to progressing sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
General sustainability‐related concerns and challenges are reviewed, and individual authors voice their understanding of various elements of sustainability based on their research, their case studies, and the extant literature.
Findings
Findings include enhanced understanding of how economic vested interests and political dynamics can block effective decision making in the sustainability field, even though the many sustainability experiences from around the world have provided practical means for companies to enhance their economic growth without affecting environments and communities. The impact of two different styles of leadership on the creation of a positive and a negative sustainability‐enabling environment is explained, and it is suggested that having a better understanding of an organization's ability to adapt and self‐regulate on crucial issues for sustainability may help to develop a path through the ongoing socio‐ecological crisis. In addition, the importance of an organization having an extended view of its endeavors in corporate and business ethics is revealed. An action research study is also presented to show how organizations currently view and implement sustainability, and to identify which critical systemic components are yet to be seriously addressed.
Originality/value
The opinions and research presented provide new and unique understanding of the elements contributing to organizational sustainability. Further value is added via the assessment of progress toward the sustainability ideal, the identification of barriers, and by studying the many practical examples of means to facilitate progress toward that ideal.
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Morena's election prospects.